ILI Not-So-Daily Charms 08.31.09

A few weeks ago, I threw open the doors of ILI Charm School. I promised that I would offer up some lovely links on a daily basis to enhance the educational experience here. I did not keep my promise. Sorry for that. But I still love the idea of being a hunter and gatherer in the wild of the Web, of offering you some additional inspiration and ideas from time to time. So I will keep those charms coming. Not every day. But some days. And keep sending me charm suggestions!

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Press pause. Disappear. You are not as vital as you think you are. A thought that is at once very disconcerting and supremely liberating. {White Hot Truth: You're Not That Important}

How would things have been different if Ted Kennedy had shared Eunice's views on abortion? {New York Times Op-Ed: A Different Kind of Liberal}

"There is an opium-den quality to maternity leave. The high of a love that obliterates everything. A need so consuming that it is threatening to everything you are and care about." {doubleX: My Newborn Is Like a Narcotic}

Does blogging harm the environment? Apparently so. {Economist.com: Computing Climate Change}

Is social media killing social skills? {WSJ.com: Why Gen-Y Johnny Can't Read Nonverbal Cues}

The blessing and curse of sadness. "My mind and my heart are both empty and full at the same time. I feel half asleep and agonizingly aware." {A Design So Vast; Sadness at Lake Champlain}

Can we buy happiness? {Boston.com: Happiness: A Buyer's Guide}

More birthdays means more people surviving cancer. Bloggers across the nation are writing about birthdays today in honor of The American Cancer Society's campaign for more birthdays. {NYC Moms Blog: Celebrating More Birthdays}